Jason's

Misguided

Blog: May 2003

Blog:

• May 30: We had the pleasure to hear Douglas Rushkoff speak last night. A passionate author and media critic, he offered some provocative ideas for renewing Judaism. Evan Solomon joined him and moderated the discussion that followed.
• May 28: We watched the Matrix sequel last night, but I decided to wait a day before writing here. I would've sneaked into the adjoining theatre to see the movie again, but we had other plans.

• May 26: Superman. Able to leap over long lineups. Faster than a subway train. Dodging tourists, pigeons and vendors with ease. New comic book? No, just our adventures during the annual Doors Open Toronto. This year we visited a record number of buildings over two exhausting days. Despite my erratic digital camera (a door-prize), I've added new pictures and a summary.

  Updated a slew of other pages ahead of the dog days of summer.

• May 19: My girlfriend, the 'flower child,' treats me to a guided tour of Cullen Gardens to see tulips. The sights, smells, miniature village, and hours of gazing made for a relaxing end to the Victoria Day weekend.
• May 14: Added a new section on the Environment, and a heading on this page for Political issues.

• May 11: High/Low. First the highs: Dad and I celebrate our birthday's on Mother's Day this year. Convenient.

  My girlfriend, 'Bonnie' wins for me a giant Looney Tunes' Tasmanian Devil toy at an arcade.

  Canada wins gold at the world hockey championships.

  The low: Dad has some heart trouble and is admitted to the hospital. Serious? Thankfully, no. More serious perhaps, that he's lying next to a man in handcuffs and guarded by police. Note: Dad's a crime writer. Convenient.

• May 8: Migration completed! Updated the Birthright pages with simpler navigation and code.
• May 3: Began migrating images over to the new host. The ad banner is less obtrusive here, and doesn't force a pop-up like my last provider.
• May 2: Permission granted! Actually, Big John was 'extremely flattered,' and modest too.
• May 1: Day one of this site's new design, borrowed, pending permission, from Position Is Everything.

Web Design:

• Found two interesting articles via mezzoblue. Death Of A Web Team, and function follows form both describe the ongoing battles between upper management and web designers that maybe all of us can understand.
• Asleep at the wheel? Zeldman, Todd Dominey, and Dan Cederholm have all commented on an article from SitePoint. My criticism is not with their opinions, but the delay in reporting on the issue. Kevin Yank published his article two months ago, and received little attention on the Discussion board, but suddenly has become a hot topic among the web community.

• Switch to the Mozilla Firebird. A guide for the uninformed user about this innovative sister browser in the Mozilla family.

  Update! The new release of Mozilla Firebird just begs to be downloaded. After using it for a few days, count me among the converted. Extension manager is a favourite, as are the enhanced bookmark controls. Disadvantages? Compared to Mozilla, the options are too simplified, forcing power users into the about:config window to make changes.

Politics:

• Many trees have been felled over the Ontario government's decision to release the budget outside the Legislature, at a major contributor's commercial site. Supporters argue that it's the substance, not the setting, that's important. I'll concede that point. However, would they have supported the former Socialist government's decision to release the budget at a union hall?

Of Interest:

• Matrix: Reloaded. As expected, the F/X were incredible. Given the cost and attention to detail, I would've expected nothing less. The movie did drag, especially during the dance and dinner scenes, and though impressive, seven gorgeously choreographed fights were too much and detracted from the story. Credit to the film crew for the 'burly brawl,' the Twins, and the initial scene of Zion, but the final highway chase lacked something. Perhaps it was fear, or maybe tension--certainly not product placement. The pitfall here is to use Neo's superhuman abilities as the 'hand of God,' able to fix everything. Another, is sensory overload from excessive action as storytelling. However, I enjoyed the 'Why' of the movie's theme, and the clues hidden therein. Think of the Oracle's candy and the spoon kid's gift. I'm not really sure a sequel was necessary, but I'm not disappointed one was made. Two in fact. Happy happy, joy joy.
• The Last Round was an excellent film and probably the last one I'll ever see at the old Uptown Theatre. If you missed it, look for it on the CBC soon.
• Consistency. The Toronto Rock Lacrosse team has won their fourth championship in five years. The Blue Jays swept the defending World Series champs this weekend. Leaf fans wonder if ABC's Wide World of Sports' "agony of defeat" clip was meant for them.
• Ever since I read that the BBC was releasing their radio sessions with some of the great psychedelic bands of the past, I've been eagerly awaiting the release of more Cream material. The wait is over, but the disappointment with record company decision-making persists. I find it unconscionable that only interview clips with guitar god Clapton are included. Baker and Bruce were his equals, not subordinates. They deserve consideration too.
• Fascinating discussion at Metafilter about dining etiquette, for artistic chefs and fussy patrons alike.

Projects:

• Continuing to work on my father's web site. Next on my to-do list: navigation links on all pages, and banners for each section.

 

Top